Quote:
Originally Posted by ********
They will be begging to join if we have a hard Brexit. A hard border with Spain would destroy their economy... They would be living on aid supplies sent from the mainland UK, like some disaster area.
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The Spain-Gibraltar border was closed by General Franco in 1969 and did not re-open until 1985. Gibraltar's economy was not destroyed.
In 1730 Spain built walls and fortifications to completely shut Gibraltar off from any contact with the world except by sea. These walls remained utterly without so much as a gate or a door until 1810, when much to her chagrin Spain found herself allied to Britain in the Napoleonic Wars. For 80 years Gibraltar was walled up like an unchaste nun. Gibraltar's economy was not destroyed.
Any fool can see that a cooperative relationship with the EU is in Britain's best interests. But I cannot help thinking that the EU is pretty big headed if it believes we cannot manage in the absence of a cooperative relationship, or even that Gibraltar cannot manage. I regret that it looks as if we might have to prove this point and show that we can cope with life outside the EU in order to persuade the EU to negotiate with us like grown ups.
Ignore Nigel Farage BTW, as we ignore Guy Verhofstadt. They are nothing more than static on the airwaves.